Treatment of glioblastoma using multicomponent silica nanoparticles

Glioblastomas (GBMs) remain highly lethal. This partially stems from the presence of brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs), a highly plastic cellular subpopulation that is resistant to current therapies. In addition to resistance, the blood-brain barrier limits the penetration of most drugs into GBMs. To effectively deliver a BTIC-specific inhibitor to brain tumors, we developed a multicomponent nanoparticle, termed Fe@MSN, which contains a mesoporous silica shell and an iron oxide core. Fibronectin-targeting ligands directed the nanoparticle to the near-perivascular areas of GBM. After Fe@MSN particles deposited in the tumor, an external low-power radiofrequency (RF) field triggered rapid drug release due to mechanical tumbling of the particle resulting in penetration of high amounts of drug across the blood-brain tumor interface and widespread drug delivery into the GBM. We loaded the nanoparticle with the drug 1400W, which is a potent inhibitor of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). It has been shown that iNOS is preferentially expressed in BTICs and is required for their maintenance. Using the 1400W-loaded Fe@MSN and RF-triggered release, in vivo studies indicated that the treatment disrupted the BTIC population in hypoxic niches, suppressed tumor growth and significantly increased survival in BTIC-derived GBM xenografts.